Atrophic Remodeling of the Artery-Cuffed Artery

Increased arterial wall tension stimulates growth and remodeling of arteries, but little is known about the effects of decreased wall tension, despite its developmental and pathological significance. Consequently, we cuffed 1 carotid artery in rabbits with a portion of the contralateral artery to off-load circumferential wall tension. The model produced rapid and extensive atrophy of the cuffed artery that yielded decreases in the DNA content of the cuffed artery (a measure of cell number) from 8.0 +/- 0.5 [micro sign]g/cm of in situ vessel length to 5.6 +/- 0.5 [micro sign]g/cm at 21 days postoperatively. The elastin content of the cuffed artery was also significantly reduced, from 399 +/- 17 to 283 +/- 17 [micro sign]g/cm, and collagen content was reduced from 468.0 +/- 59.0 to 154 +/- 24 [micro sign]g/cm (P